Millionaire CEO calls for state to raise taxes on the rich

By Neil Vigdor

Published 4:29 pm, Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Photo: YouTube / Contributed Photo

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John Driscoll, the Stamford millionaire CEO of CareCentrix, appears in a commercial released Wednesday by the Service Employees International Union 1199 New England calling for higher taxes on the state's wealthiest residents. less

John Driscoll, the Stamford millionaire CEO of CareCentrix, appears in a commercial released Wednesday by the Service Employees International Union 1199 New England calling for higher taxes on the state's ... more

Photo: YouTube / Contributed Photo

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John Driscoll, the Stamford millionaire CEO of CareCentrix, appears in a commercial released Wednesday by the Service Employees International Union 1199 New England calling for higher taxes on the state's wealthiest residents. less

John Driscoll, the Stamford millionaire CEO of CareCentrix, appears in a commercial released Wednesday by the Service Employees International Union 1199 New England calling for higher taxes on the state's ... more

Photo: YouTube / Contributed Photo

Millionaire CEO calls for state to raise taxes on the rich

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An “Odd Couple,” one of the largest state employee unions has enlisted a millionaire CEO from Stamford to push for higher taxes on the rich.

The 30-spot titled “The Right Thing to Do” debuted statewide Wednesday as Republicans and Democrats, who hold a slim minority in the House and tie-breaker with the lieutenant governor in the Senate, clash over proposed tax increases and spending cuts.

It shows Driscoll sitting at his desk at the health care management firm, which has more than 400 employees between its Hartford headquarters and Stamford office. Driscoll is a member of the group known as Patriotic Millionaires, a coalition of more than 200 high net worth individuals that supports tax increases for those in the top brackets.

“Successful people and successful corporations have to pay their fair share,” Driscoll said in the commercial. “I love Connecticut, it’s my home. We aren’t going to leave just because we have to be part of a budget solution.”

Republicans pointed out that Driscoll is a registered Democrat and that CareCentrix received $24 million in grants from the state as part of an economic incentive package awarded by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration in 2012. The terms of the deal called for the private company to save 200 existing jobs and create 290 jobs as part of an $86 million expansion. Driscoll was named the company’s CEO in 2013.

“The union ad features a registered Democrat who is part of group of wealthy people that has contributed thousands to Democratic campaigns, and whose company received corporate welfare from the state of Connecticut. And he’s advocating for higher taxes. What a shock,’” said House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby.

Connecticut and Wisconsin share the dubious distinction as the only states still without a budget. Republicans and Democrats have gone back and forth over a now-scuttled sales tax increase, cuts to municipal aid and other budgetary fixes since the end of May.

In July, the Legislature narrowly passed a highly controversial union concessions package along party lines, with Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman casting the tie-breaker in the Senate. Supporters say it’s the first step toward ending the budget impasse, with a combination of wage freezes, three furlough days, higher co-pays and transition of new hires to a defined contribution plan saving the state $1.5 billion during the next two years.

Critics of the deal say it locks the state into a no-layoff guarantee for the next four years and extends benefits to public sector workers that are more generous than those in the private sector through 2027. The overwhelming ratification of the deal by 33 bargaining units earlier this month gave detractors further pause.

Driscoll opens the video by saying that state needs to raise revenue.

“I hope the political leadership is listening,” Driscoll said. “We all have to be part of the solution to balance the budget. It’s the right thing to do.”